May 18 is the birthday of Huobi HTX's brand IP Huobao. On this day, the newly upgraded Huobao officially met users for the first time. Huobi HTX held a "Huobao Birthday Fantasy Carnival," setting up the venue like a series of game booths, where the "Huobi Sisters," who usually answer user queries in the live broadcast room and communities, all attended as booth hosts, interacting face to face with users and KOLs.

Not long ago, Huobao completed an important strategic upgrade, officially becoming Huobi HTX's "user emotional totem" and brand digital avatar. On top of that, Huobi HTX also presented the "Huobao Team" with five big images, corresponding to five typical scenarios in the coin circle, and simultaneously launched Huobao-themed T-shirt blind boxes.

Why do this? Why now? Behind Huobao's upgrade, what is Huobi HTX's philosophy? Taking advantage of the birthday party opportunity, we talked with Huobi HTX's official spokesperson Molly.

Q1: This upgrade of Huobao, from a mascot to an "emotional totem" and "brand digital avatar," is quite significant. Why do we want to do this?

Molly: I particularly want to talk about this question.

To be honest, the term mascot feels a bit inadequate for Huobao. We've observed that many old users chat in the community using Huobao emojis, they make memes with Huobao, and even change their wallet nicknames to "XX Bao." Defining it simply as a "mascot" feels a bit trivial. It's no longer just an image; it has become a tacit understanding between users and Huobi HTX.

So in this upgrade, we wanted to clarify this relationship. Huobao is Huobi HTX's brand digital avatar and also the user's emotional totem. To put it simply, Huobao is not just something Huobi HTX shows to users; it is something that Huobi HTX and users have nurtured together. The crypto industry itself is cold and rational enough. K-lines, contracts, on-chain data, all numbers. What we aim to do is to leave a bit more warmth for users beyond these numbers. Huobao is the entity that carries that warmth.

So this birthday is meaningful to us. It is the first time the new Huobao formally stands in front of users. Rather than saying we are throwing a party, it is more like an upgrade in user service.

Q2: The five major images of the "Huobao Team" were also unveiled during the birthday party. Can you tell us about them?

Molly: Just in time, I also want to introduce our Huobao Team. These five designs were not imagined out of thin air; they were derived from our observations of users.

First, let’s talk about Iron Head Bao, also known as Diamond Bao. He represents the most stable group of users in the coin circle, who don’t sell in bull markets or bear markets; no matter how they are tossed around, they do not sell. You see, he has a diamond on his head, his eyes are particularly steadfast, and there is a hint of disdain at the corner of his mouth, that expression says, "Why are you all panicking?" Our slogan for him is "Don’t look at the balance, always with tears of joy, always believing in HOLD." I know some old HODLers who have held since 2017 and understand that some people truly live this way. We have great respect for this kind of user.

Then there is my personal favorite, Contract Bao. He has a band-aid on his face, meaning that this guy has been hit by the market, but he doesn't care. He doesn’t trust trends, experts, or KOLs, not even his last judgment; he only trusts that "this time is different." His slogan is particularly clever: "Between bearish and bullish, I choose to look open-minded."

Next is Charge Bao, we also call him P Little General, fast-handed and bold, the kind who goes all in the moment the market opens. We adapted an old meme from the coin circle for his slogan: "Received, charge! Win and you get a model from the club, lose and you go work in the sea." Many opportunities in the coin circle are captured with this daring spirit.

The fourth is New Coin Bao, he is the curious baby of the coin circle, whose eyes light up when he sees something new. While others are still hesitant, he has already rushed in, but he rushes accurately, emphasizing that "luck is also a skill." Every time Huobi HTX lists a new coin, he is the first one in.

Lastly, I want to highlight Wealth Management Bao. We’ve established his persona as "the biggest winner of Huobi HTX for 2025-2026." He wears sunglasses, is calm and collected; while others are chasing highs and lows in K-lines, he is peacefully checking the returns list. His slogan is "No matter how turbulent the market, Huobi earns coins steadily as Mount Tai."

Why we set him up as the "annual biggest winner," is based on a significant judgment I can elaborate on later.

In short, these five Huobaos correspond to real user mentalities. We want to tell every user that no matter what type you are, Huobi HTX sees you. That’s also why we turned these five images into T-shirt blind boxes. We hope Huobao transcends just being an on-screen image, but can truly be "worn" by users. Whichever one you get is a label you give yourself for the crypto world.

Q3: You just emphasized Wealth Management Bao, establishing him as the "annual biggest winner." Does this mean that earning coins has become the business focus for Huobi HTX this year?

Molly: Yes. And it weighs more than the outside world might imagine.

I can share something quite surprising to us. Before this birthday party, we conducted research on user benefits and interviewed some top clients. Surprisingly, the most requested was earning coin interest coupons. It was not about contract fee discounts or airdrops, but earning coin interest coupons.

When this feedback came out, our team discussed it for a long time. In the past few years, when people think of exchanges, the first reaction was always contracts, leverage, and high-frequency trading. But now, including many top clients, users are changing their asset perspectives, starting to prioritize "stable returns."

This is also corroborated by our backend data. Huobi HTX's coin-earning business has seen positive growth in the number of users for five consecutive quarters; the core stablecoin scale has also maintained double-digit growth for four consecutive quarters. Users' choices are the most authentic answers.

Therefore, earning coins is our main focus for promotion and investment this year. The image of Wealth Management Bao being set as the "annual biggest winner" was not just designed out of nowhere; he is the embodiment of this trend.

Q4: Can you give a specific example of a coin-earning product? So we can intuitively understand what Huobi HTX has done regarding earning coins?

Molly: I would like to mention a recent case, which is the VIP flexible product. This product was launched at the end of March this year, specifically designed for high-net-worth users, primarily supporting USDT, with an annualized return of up to 9%.

What does 9% mean? The mainstream ordinary flexible returns in the market are mostly between 1% and 2.5% annually. The returns provided by VIP flexible are several times that of ordinary flexible returns. Plus, there is no lockup; the funds can be withdrawn anytime as needed.

Another characteristic is that it is deeply linked with our Prime member system; users with Prime 5 and above can enjoy it. This actually reflects an important idea: users of different sizes and needs should be matched with different products and return structures, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

For a large USDT holder, this means they can "earn comfortably" in a volatile market, and they can also use it as a buffer for funds to call upon at any time; for us, this is an extension of the Prime membership ecosystem and a differentiated entry for coin-earning products in the high-end market. Flexible products will definitely move towards personalization and stratification in the future. The VIP flexible is a step we have taken in this direction.

Q5: Aside from earning coins, what other major actions does Huobi HTX have this year in products and business that you want users to see?

Molly: We have been continually promoting the contract line this year and will continue to do so.

The contract side has performed well, and user feedback has been excellent. Feedback from frontline key account managers, community responses, and comments from users at events all tell us one thing: Huobi HTX's contract experience is continuously improving.

Specifically, this year we took a crucial step in the contract line: deepening the TradFi layout. Currently, Huobi HTX's contract TradFi area supports over 50 types of assets, which means users can transcend purely crypto-native assets and access a wider range of traditional financial products.

For users, contracts should not merely be a leverage tool but should serve as a larger asset allocation map. We hope that Huobi HTX's contracts can provide users with that map.

This year, our focus is clear: earning coins and contracts, walking on two legs. One responds to stable demand, and the other responds to active trading needs. Together, these two lines can cover most users' real scenarios.

Q6: During the birthday party, all the "Huobi Sisters" transformed into booth masters to interact with users, which is quite rare in the exchange industry. Can you introduce the Huobi Sister team?

Molly: Huobi Sisters is a particularly special team at Huobi HTX. They were selected through the "Huobi Sister" competition, and they are not just our customer service team but also diligent industry builders. Each of them has their own main business areas, and they can directly help users solve problems in different situations.

Let me briefly introduce us. I myself am the official spokesperson for Huobi HTX; Guns are the key account managers; Xiaxia is the live broadcast director; Saki is the merchandise manager; yiyi is the P network ambassador; PP is the Monkey King ambassador; and Xiaodu is the ambassador for HTX DAO construction.

Each person corresponds to a business line and a user scenario. This birthday party allowed the Huobi Sisters to step out from behind the screen to the front, also to let everyone know that behind Huobi HTX is a group of real people. Our customer service includes not only a ticketing system and AI assistants but also named, personable, warm individuals who can chat with you.

Q7: After the Huobao birthday party, what will be the next steps for Huobi HTX in user service and brand building?

Molly: Huobao's upgrade is a starting point, not an endpoint.

Our internal judgment is that Web3 has now passed the stage of purely competing on technology and speed. What does the next stage entail? It's whether users can stay with you for the long term and whether there can be genuine trust and companionship established between the platform and users.

So you will see that Huobi HTX will move forward on both lines simultaneously: on the business side, solidifying the earning coins and contracts, ensuring users have places for their assets, returns, and security; on the brand and service side, enriching connections that are "warm" with Huobao, Huobi Sisters, and offline events, fostering relationships that transcend mere platform and account connections.

As the industry grows more restless, it is even more important to maintain warmth. The rest will be left to time.

Thank you.

About Huobi HTX

Huobi HTX was established in 2013, and after 12 years of development, it has transformed from a cryptocurrency exchange into a comprehensive blockchain business ecosystem encompassing digital asset trading, financial derivatives, research, investment, incubation, and other businesses.

As a leading Web3 portal globally, Huobi HTX adheres to a development strategy of global expansion, ecological prosperity, wealth effect, and security compliance, providing a comprehensive, safe, and reliable value and service for virtual currency enthusiasts worldwide.